Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I bought my first bearded dragon about two weeks ago. I decided to pay the extra money and get a female HypoPastel as opposed to buying a normal. I just liked the coloring on her. She doesn’t seem to be eating well though. She rarely touches her vegetables (diced carrots and red leaf, which is the only thing I've attempted so far) and even though she is eating them, she’s not overly excited about the crickets. I have been providing a 105 degree hot spot and an 85 degree cool spot with night temps at 75 degrees. Maybe my temps are making her unhappy? And my last question; I’ve put her in a sand subtrate (from a pet store) which is a redish color. I’ve noticed it’s starting to turn her little feet red. Is this a problem?
Thanks in advance for your help!

Congrats on your new dragon. The color on her feet wont hurt her, but it will hurt her to eat the calci-sand, which they often do. It clumps up in their guts, causing an impaction and can cause paralysis...or worse. Not many people here will advocate using calci-sand. The best substrates for you to use would be non-stick shelf liner, (this is the personal favorite here. Duck brand from Wal-Mart.), reptile carpet, newspaper, paper towels, butcher's paper, or any non-particle type substrate.
Your temps sound ok. You may want to try offering a range on the cool side of 75-85, if you can.
Red leaf and carrots wouldn't be a good staple for her, for fabulous nutritional infomation, check out the link below.
Try some butternut squash to get her eating her greens and veggies, most dragons love it and it's really good for them, too.
Also, how many crickets are you offering and what size? The general rule is that prey shouldn't be larger than the space between their eyes, except in the case of soft-bodied prey, like silkworms. Speaking of silkies...they're great! A good staple feeder and really good for picky eaters, you may want to give them a try.
Do you have a good UVB source?
Just try waiting it out, she's probably stressed and that would affect her appetite. Definitely get her off the calci-sand immediately. It also wouldn't hurt to take a fecal sample into a vet soon, just to check. Good luck with her.

-Nicky

www.beautifuldragons.com
www.silkwormfarm.com

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Clowns to the left of me
Jokers to the right
Here I am, stuck in the middle with you...

2.1 Bearded Dragons: Gordo, Layne, & Chiquita
2.4 Cats: Zeus, Remi, Kiki, Delilah, Sadie & Cheyenne
1.0 Betta: Mr. Purple

I’ve heard such conflicting opinions as far as the calci-sand goes. The whole thing is so confusing to a newcomer! Some breeders have told me that it won’t compact their digestive tracts and that they need the calcium from the sand, some have told me to use nothing but newspaper, and some have told me to use playsand. Which is it?
I have a UVA/UVB bulb on her from 7:30AM to 7:00PM (it’s on a timer). I haven’t been using a nighttime heat source since she’s housed in our snake room, which is a consistent 75 degrees.
I’ve been offering her 2-3 crickets a day, sometimes more. I’ve never actually seen her eat the crickets, since she prefers to dine alone and unwatched, but when I return to the room 30 minutes later, the crickets are gone. I’ve been following the “space between the eyes” rule religiously, so she is eating medium crickets. My “supplier” pet store doesn’t carry silkworms, but they do carry super worms and bloodworms. Will these suffice? Are they as good as silkworms?
I will most definitely try the butternut squash. I have been feeding her the red leaf because that’s what the breeder said he had been feeding them. I had intended to get kale or collards for her next time around, but will try the squash. I just want her to be happy and healthy!
Thanks so much for your help!